How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth (episode)
The Enterprise encounters a being that once visited the ancient peoples of Earth. Summary :"Captain's Log, Stardate 6063.4. The Enterprise is tracing the origin of a mysterious alien space probe. It approached the Federation home worlds, made a scan of Earth's system and signaled outward into space. Before it could be intercepted, the probe self-destructed. We are following a trail of disrupted matter left by the probe’s highly advanced propulsion system. Thus far the trail has not intercepted any inhabited star systems." Soon, the Enterprise encounters an alien vessel that is approaching on the same course as the probe. It is twice the size of the Enterprise, surrounded by an immense energy field and composed of crystalline ceramic. A globular force field encompasses the Federation ship. The alien ship probes the Enterprise then the surrounding energy pattern shifts and transforms itself into the shape of a large feathered serpent which Ensign Dawson Walking Bear recognizes as Kulkukan. Upset over being forgotten by Earthlings, Kulkukan gives the crew one chance to redeem themselves because one crewman did not forget him. When asked Walking Bear tells Kirk that he is a Comanche and has studied his background. The ship bears a strong resemblance to a god of ancient Mayan-Aztec legends. The Mayans had a legend of a winged serpent god who came from the skies. They could conceivably be dealing with a space traveler who visited earth in early times and was the basis for such legends. :"Captain's Log, Stardate 6063.5. First officer Spock in temporary command. The ''Enterprise is a captive of an alien life form calling itself Kukulkan. Captain Kirk and three other officers have vanished. They were most likely transported by Kukulkan to his ship." Inside the other ship Kirk asks Walking Bear if legend says what happened to Kulkukan. The ensign tells him no, only that he left and promised to return one day. Kirk surmises that the space probe was his. Kulkukan says, "Now I have shown you the seeds I have sewn before. Learn from them. Find their purpose if you can. Only then will I appear before you." If they fail, the crew will all perish. The four crew members are transported to an Earth-like city filled with many cultures that appears to be one gigantic riddle. Walking Bear tells Kirk that Kulkukan gave the Mayans a remarkably accurate calendar and instructed them to build a city according to its cycles. When the city was finished Kulkukan was supposed to return. The Mayans built their city and waited. Kulkukan never appeared. Kirk reasons he visited several ancient people on Earth but each one only used part of his knowledge to build their cultures. If no one built this city exactly right, that’s why Kulkukan never came back. The city is the key. It must contain some sort of signaling device. Kirk decides it’s a pyramid. He climbs it and gets McCoy and Scotty to turn the heads of the serpent statues to all strike a certain space on the pyramid. When they accomplish the task, Kulkukan appears as the winged serpent, alleging to be their master. He claims they strayed from the path he set. Kirk claims he doesn’t know him so Kulkukan will teach him. Transported to an ominous "life-room," the crew members notice a variety of creatures from around the galaxy, all in cages. There’s even the ferocious, but now peaceful, Capellan power-cat. Kirk explains that they cannot accept Kulkukan as their master, despite his contributions to mankind. Kulkukan says they’re contented. Each one’s mind thinks it’s in its own world, created by Kulkukan’s machinery. They are his only companions, his children to be shown how to live. Kirk says, “If children are made totally dependent on their teachers, they will never be anything but children.” Kulkukan’s had enough. Despite what he has shown them they still cling to their disobedient ways. Kirk explains that they cannot accept Kulkukan as their master, despite his contributions to mankind. On the ''U.S.S. Enterprise, Spock discovers a way to break the energy field surrounding the ship, distracting Kulkukan from the other crewmen. The men release the animals from their cages, thereby creating a chaos which Kulkukan is unable to control. The power-cat traps Kukulkan which forces Kukulkan to reveal himself as a mortal. Kirk saves Kulkukan and thus teaches him a valuable lesson about human survival. Kulkukan leaves as an old, broken mortal, and Kirk decides that the price of infinite knowledge is too high to pay. Bones reminds them of a line from Shakespeare, "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child." Memorable Quotes "Mr. Spock, shouldn't we be trying to find out what became of the Capitan and the others?" "Lieutenant Uhura, you're supposed to be monitoring the alien vessel. Our first priority is to free the "Enterprise" and ourselves. Return to your duties." :'- Uhura' and Spock "If no one on Earth built this city exactly right then that's why Kulkukan never came back. The entire city is our key!" "Kulkukan said he would appear only when we learned it's purpose." "Then there has to be some sort of signaling device here." :'- Kirk' and Ensign Dawson Walking Bear "Looks like there's a seam here and the head can be turned. Come on lad, gimme a hand." "The sun, that's it. Scotty turn the head all the way around and aim it up here." "Aye, sir." "Turn the other heads this way. Bones, the serpent heads, turn them to face the pyramid. I'm coming down." :'- Scott' at one of the four corner towers near the pyramid and Kirk Background * Honors: This episode received top ratings for a children's show, got favorable comments and mail and went to The International TV Film Festival in Monte Carlo. * Trivia: This was one of two episodes not directed by Hal Sutherland, it was directed by Bill Reed. * Trivia: A Limited Edition Collectors Cell inspired by this episode was once available from Tuttle Enterprises. The cell was number ST-20. * Trivia: This episode gets its title from a quote from Shakespeare: "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child." — King Lear, Act I, Scene 4. * Trivia: This episode's plot of an ancient Earth god returning in the hopes of being once more revered by mankind was very similar to the storyline in TOS: "Who Mourns for Adonais?". This was an intentional homage by Russell Bates to Gene L. Coon, writer of that episode. * Trivia: A Capellan power-cat was seen in this episode. It presumably came from the planet Capella. That planet was the site of TOS: "Friday's Child". (Also, in the episode, TOS: "The Counter-Clock Incident", Sarah April held a flower in her hand that was a native of Capella IV.) * Trivia: Kukulkan stated that he had visited the Mayan and Aztec cultures on Earth. Mayan culture lasted from 300-900 A.D and Aztec civilization fluorished from 1100-1520. So Kukulkan must have stayed on Earth for several hundred years as he nurtured these civilizations. This conclusion was suggested by episode author Russell Bates. * Trivia: The co-author Russell Bates is a Kiowa American Indian who began to write while hospitalized in the U.S. Air Force in the mid sixties. He later met Gene L. Coon and worked with him on The Name of the Game. Dorothy Fontana told him about the animated Star Trek series being planned and she asked him to submit a script. He submitted one entitled The Patient Parasites but it was rejected as being too close to a live film script. That script was later published in Star Trek: The New Voyages 2 (January 1978, Bantam Books). Russell Bates then collaborated with a young filmaker/animator David Wise on a second script. This second effort was approved and became How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth. * Blooper: in an overview of the bridge, Uhura was shown as caucasian. * Featured Character: This episode featured the first appearance of a Native American starship crewmember on Star Trek, Ensign Dawson Walking Bear. Ensign Walking Bear is a Cherokee and he has studied the customs of several native American cultures. As with the holodeck in TAS: "The Practical Joker", TAS was there first! Links and References Regular cast * William Shatner as Kirk * Leonard Nimoy as Spock * DeForest Kelley as McCoy * James Doohan as: ** Scott ** Arex * Nichelle Nichols as Uhura Guest stars * James Doohan as: ** Kukulkan ** Dawson Walking Bear References Aztec; calendar; Capellan power-cat (Capella IV); central power source; Chinese dragon (Chinese); clay; Comanche; crystalline ceramic; disrupted matter; dragon; Egyptian; energy amplification system; evasive action; force-globe; God; hypo; Human history; jungle; King Lear; kitten; Kukulkan's city; Kukulkan's machinery; Kukulkan's probe; Kukulkan's species; Kukulkan's starship; Kukulkan's zoo (zoo); library computer; light year; Mayan (Mayas); medical kit; Native American; obelisk; pyramid; Quetzalcoatl; serpent; Shakespeare, William; standard greeting; Starbase 21; signaling device; Terran system; tranquilizer; unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) personnel; volt; Vulcan; yellow alert; yeoman Category:TAS episodes de:Kulkulkan - Der Mächtige nl:How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth